1884.] General Pearse on an ancient gold ring. 71 



of the deceased. The casket was found in one of the ancient Hindu 

 tombs of Java, and was that of a Prince of Madura, ancestor of the 

 subsequent Sultans of the Island. 



" Monsieur Van Sansberge considers the ring almost too small to be 

 worn. He gives its weight as 0'175 of the continental system. 



" He has kindly given me impressions of the seal, which I have had 

 electrotyped by Mr. W. T. Ready of the British Museum : one of these 

 I beg to present to the Bengal Asiatic Society. I trust some of its dis- 

 tinguished scholarly members may be able to read the inscription and 

 fling light on it, giving from its form and style of epigraphy its date, &c. 



" Having now for nearly 40 years collected ancient Indian seals and 

 rings, I may remark that this grand old style of ring is very rare indeed. 

 I have only seen two others of the same size and significance : these were 

 found in 1866 at Rungamutty on the River Bhagarutty in the District of 

 Moorshedabad by E. M. Jackson, Esq., of Cheltenham, in whose possession 

 I saw them a few years ago ; they were found in an earthen jar, together 

 with two gold coins of Oerkes and Kanerkes in a ruined and deserted 

 Fort near Rungamutty. In lieu of a Sanskrit inscription, as on Mon- 

 sieur Van Sansberge 's signet ring, Mr. Jackson's had on one a sapphire 

 and on the other a sard. The stones were polished and shaped but not 

 cut. Thus on these two superb rings of the Indo-Scythic period there was 

 no inscription and no seal. They were thus only ornamental rings. 



" I possess in my collection several rings with antique gems dating up 

 to the Alexandrian age, in their original settings of gold, steel, iron, 

 brass, &c. Also solid gold, steel, iron, brass, chalcedony, agate and jade 

 rings, either inscribed with characters in some one of the ancient Indian 

 languages, or else having on them figures and symbols : many being 

 those of the Asoka age. But I have never had the opportunity of acquir- 

 ing a superb ring of the kind here brought to notice. 



" Many of my ancient Indian rings of times previous to and a little 

 subsequent to the Christian era are, as it were, miniatures of the grand 

 ring under notice, being generally somewhat of the same shape aud style, 

 but such are poor things compared to the Indo-Javanese ring under 

 consideration. 



" I herewith also give the size and shape of Mr. Jackson's two superb 

 rings which were found in Bengal, 



1. A Sard, 2, A Sapphire. 



